Three Big Takeaways from Advertising Week 2011

This past week we saw the visionaries, leaders, and thinkers of the advertising world share their insights and predictions for the industry. After soaking in all that we could in the panels and presentations, here are three big takeaways from the week.

Community: Local or virtual?
Creating online community is on everyone's hotlist. Advertisers and consumers both welcome the idea of ultra-relevant messaging. But what exactly do we mean by community? Over the course of the week, there has been a subtle but important debate over the term. Some people take this literally, using a model like Patch, where community is defined as the people and places in your physical neighborhood. Some, however, argue that community is really created around passion points. These you share with like-minded people, but not necessarily those around you.  As marketers, we have to be sure we're taking advantage of both concepts.  What does community mean to you?

Beyond the Click: Online ad metrics need an update
How do you know if your online ad campaign was successful? Were those click-thru rates high because the audience was interested in learning more, or were they tricked into clicking? It's obvious metrics need to change when it comes to determining online ads' success. Pictela's Greg Rogers and Sam Atwood spoke with advertising powerhouses like Wenda Harris Millard and Rob Norman last week for a lively discussion on the topic.
The consensus? Users expect and want a different advertising experience online than other media. The audience wants ads that engage, entertain and respond to them online. The success of these innovative ad units shouldn't revolve around the black and white CTR. The audience doesn't want to leave the page 

What does the "General Market" look like in an increasingly diverse country?
The 2010 Census revealed that over a quarter of the American public would be considered multicultural. Add to that the ability of targeting niche audiences online, and you would start to wonder why marketers do any general market campaigns! A general market still does exist, however. There are wants and needs that need to be fulfilled for everyone, no matter their background or community. Marketers need to be more multicultural-savvy in this new diverse marketplace to stay competitive. One of the best quotes about the changing market happened at one of the Vidal Partnership talks, "Adding multicultural elements to a campaign isn't just PC anymore. It's good business."

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